Nicky's Individualized Education Plan

"When am I ever going to use math?"

The most important math question I received all year has been, "When am I ever going to use this stuff?" After spending a year answering this question over and over again, I thought it would be a great idea to have students explore this question on their own. After completing my digital story on Cheating in Math class with my students, I realized how much they loved and embraced technology. I decided as a part of the final exam, my algebra students would create a digital story using imovie and integrate it with math in the real-world. My goal was to have them see that while we don't use all the math we learn, much of the math that we learn is used everyday in our lives.

I was all little nervous presenting this project since I consider myself a novice at using imovie. It was a relief to discover that many of my students were already familiar with iMovie. I was actually impressed that some of my students showed me how to use different effects in iMovie.

Click here to view two students project on Mathematic Adventures. Lesson Plans. How-to use iMovie 101.

Reflections

I believe there was much value in this project. Technology is becoming more integrated in the classroom and also our students are becoming digital natives. It is our job to embrace technology and seek opportunities for our students to use technology in the classroom.

My favorite part of this project was students being able to answer the question, "Why do we need to know this stuff!" If I did this again I would definitely make the criteria about content about content more strict because it seemed that my students wasted time down loading music when they should be investing their time into content, that is, integrating their understanding of math into the video.

Digital Story Telling

Cheating in Math!!!

A few weeks ago I caught two of my students cheating on a math test. I felt that this was an opportune time for my students to realize that I am not a digital immigrant but that I am aware of the capabilities of cellphones. Not only do they allow students to have access to a calculator but they also allow them to text answers to other classmates. After meeting with these two students, their consequences included receiving zeros on their test, conversing with the principals about cheating at Houston High School, and recreating the scenario in a digital story.

I will carry this digital story with me for many years. This is a story I will share with my students at the beginning of each year about cheating in my class. The student handbook does mention the consequences of cheating at HHS but it is always great to show an actual example of poor choices being made.

Overall, the story was a hit. My students really embraced the idea of technology and being able to tell their story through videos. The two cheaters received a lot of street credit from their peers. The principals at Houston High where impressed with this idea and had me share it with other faculty members. More importantly they were impressed by what students know about technology. I facilitated the video but my students added some minor touches to spice.

Click here to see the story map. Cheating In Math video.

Being a Part of an Online Community

“Most of us end up with no more than five or six people who remember us. Teachers have thousands of people who remember them for the rest of their lives.”
-Rooney, Andy

This is an inspiring quote I got from the Teachnology website, where I became an active participant this past semester. This is an awesome website for teachers that provides great information and resources. Some examples include- teaching tips, rubrics, worksheets, lesson plans, teacher themes, inspiring stories and humor, and games. What I really liked was the open forum that allowed members to ask questions and provide feedback to other teachers.

One resource that I used often was the bingo cards. The website provides several pre-made bingo cards as well as blank cards. I used bingo to help my students study for the Standardized Based Assessment and the High School Qualifying Exam. The practice for these tests can be long and dry so I made bingo cards as a replacement for the tests. My students loved this idea and using them made studying more meaningful. They also enjoyed the change of pace from practice test to bingo. I also used some of the algebra games and rubrics that this website provided.

My Favorite Educational Websites

As a teacher I think that it is important to always bring new ideas to your classroom. Whether the ideas come in the form of activities, technology or the latest methods of teaching, students love the change of pace and any ways to make math fun!

Teacher Tube – This website is my favorite, especially for my Pre-Calculus and Calculus math classes. I am always looking for new ways to present concepts to my class. This website provides me with new ideas and easier tactics to use with my students. The videos tend to last from anywhere between 3-30 minutes depending on the topic.

Discovery Education – This is another great website. It includes lesson plans, videos, professional development, forum, assignment builders and much more. This website is not free to use. One must either be a member or an educator to have access to it.

Nancy Powell – This is Nancy Powell’s website, which I absolutely love! This website is more geometry focused and includes many hands-on activities, which students enjoy. I am currently doing some of these projects with my class and students seem to thoroughly enjoy them. Also, she offers great activities using geometry sketchpad.

Assistive Technology for Reading

In their article, “Assistive Technology for Reading,” Hasselbring and Baush discuss several ways to improve access to reading for students who have learning disabilities through using computer programs. Several states are implementing programs that have been noticeably helpful for students with learning disabilities. These programs include: text-reader software, Read & Write Gold, Read, Write, & Type! Learning System, and Read Naturally. These programs help students with learning disabilities to remain in regular classrooms where they are expected to complete the regular classroom work.

Click here to read more on this article...

Overdominance of Computers

"We don't prepare children for an automobile-dependent society by finding ways for 10-year olds to drive cars, or prepare people to use alcohol responsibly by teaching them how to drink when they are 6," Lowell Monke. Children need love, close relationships, outdoor activity, nature exploration, music, drama, art, hands on lessons and conversations with adults. Unfortunately technology does not teach our little ones these things. We are losing insight into the real-life experiences that educate our children by relying on technology to teach our children how to read, write, and interact. Technology needs to be used appropriately. We need to teach it's benefits and limitations, instead of making our children completely dependent upon it for learning.

Click here to read more on "The Over dominance of Computers"

Philosophy of Education

This is my Philosophy of Education in movie maker. I had a great time making this movie. This really opened up my eyes to the technology that is out there to be used. I definitely struggled with adding music to my video. That is something I'm going to have to look into doing as well as a few other upgrades.

Click here to see my philosophy of education.

The Educators Guide to the Read/Write Web

Overview:
In this article, “The Educators Guide to the Read/Write Web,” Will Richardson gives an overview of the new sources of communication and publishing through Read/Write Web. He states that the “Internet is no longer a place where digital learners consume information but publish and broadcast their work, collaborate on projects, and engage in online conversations.” Some of the new technologies that Richardson mentions are Wikis, Really Simple Syndication, and pod casting. He also mentions that teachers should consider changes in their curriculum now that students can reach far beyond the classroom walls to acquire their own sources.

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Video Presention on Carpooling

After viewing my video presentation that I presented to my sixth grade class, I wasn't surprised to see some of my funky habits I do when I present. Even though I am constantly thinking to myself to not do these funky habits, I still do them. During the presentation is was evident that I really like to speak with my hands.

After being a sixth grade intern for a semester my students have not picked up on some of my habits. I tend to use my hands to express anything and everything that I'm talking about. It's pretty funny after I watched the video. Another terrible habit that I have is repeating myself if I lose my train of thought. I did this several times during the presentation. I tried to include my students during the presentation so I asked a few of them questions that pertained to what we have been doing in class. I did have some major technological issues because the power point was saved in Microsoft 2008 and I had to convert it to Microsoft 2003. My students were very patient as I had to restart the program and presentation several times. The most important part is that my students loved the project. When I asked them if they have any questions or concerns, I had several responses saying I did a great job. I think anytime that you can tie in real world experiences with pictures, students will love it and even relate to the topic. It brought several questions on how we as a class can help save on energy conservation.

Save Money, Hitch A Ride!!!

This blog details a report I did on saving money by carpooling. This project includes a power point presentation, excel spread sheet representing my data, and a written report.

This project has opened up my eyes to the amount of money that is being spent on gas. I commuted to Anchorage for two years while attending the University of Alaska Anchorage and it never occured to me to carpool. After looking at my results in this report I was baffled on the yearly expense of commuting. I'm willing to bet the amount of money I spent commuting to Anchorage would equal about half of my tution for two years.

This project also shocked me on the difference of gas between my car and Scott's truck. Granted it's nice to have some metal between you while driving on the roads in Alaska but for the amount of money it costs to drive a truck, well...I'm going to have to think on this for awhile.

I had a lot of fun with this project. Carpooling is a great way to save on money, help out the economy, and make new friends. What I would struggle with would be waiting patiently after school for my ride and dragging Scott out of bed early so I could make it to work on time.

Click here to view my project report

Click here to view my data presented on Excel

Click here to view my power point presentation

Car Pooling - Energy Conservaton Project

My commitment to student teaching this year has put a damper on my extra spending money. I have been pondering the question, "how can I save money when I'm not really making money?" Frustrating. As I considered how I spend my money, I realized that my car was one of the biggest expenses. Given that gas is at sky high prices, and I only live five miles from school, it made sense for me to start carpooling. My fiance, Scott, who conveniently drives by Houston Middle School on his way to work everyday will be my mode of transportation for a week.

Questions:

* How much money will I save by car pooling for a week???

* How much money will I save by car pooling in my car versus Scott's truck???

Assumption:

* I think that I will save $20.00 a week by car pooling to work

Requirements for my Research:

* I first will need to figure out how many miles per gallon my car gets.

* I will also need to figure out how many miles per gallon Scott's truck gets.

* I will drive to school to and from school for one week.

* I will then car pool with Scott to and from school for one week.

* During this two week period of time I will keep a record of my data and my results that I find.

Anthro-Tech Assessment

Going undercover and being detective at Houston Middle School wasn't very easy for me since I blew my cover the first week. I had the opportunity to cover a class one day (sub didn't show up) and the lesson was presented using a Promethium board. Needless to say I was a digital immigrant. I knew absolutely nothing on how to work the board. There was even one point during the day when I tried to use a regular pencil on the Promethium screen. The good news is that I walked out of class knowing more about the technology that HMS offers, which helped me in my research for this project. This experience opened my eyes and enlightened me to the technology advances that has been made since I have been out of school. Promethium boards are fairly new to HMS and teachers are still having some training to this day on what they offer the classroom.

Since I have had a month of practice since my flop expericence, I feel now that I have had adequate training on the Promethium board and am becoming a digital native. The students enjoy the tools that the board offers and absolutely love the opportunity to come up to the board to solve math problems. I'm excited to learn more about the Promethium board and the other capabilities is has to offer!

Full Report on Houston Middle School's Technology
Houston Middle School's Handbook

Tools for the Mind

Overview

In her article, “Tools for the Mind,” Mary Burns disputes that technology is being used inappropriately in the classroom setting. Districts have focused on training teachers on professional development when they should be focusing on training teachers on computers. Burns also mentions that an observation done in 1999 and 2003 through the South Central Regional Technology in Education Consortium indicates that schools do use Microsoft Office as well as the Internet in the classroom setting but to be aware that the content is reduced to a “sight bit” where the focus is on color and visual stimulation. Burns recommends that teachers use technology that will help students develop high order thinking such as spread sheets and databases. Burns offers a solution to schools and school districts which is providing professional development for teachers. Teachers teach critical thinking first and technology later. Students and teachers must become creators of information and ideas, not simply users of technology.

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Listen to the Natives - Marc Presnky

Overview:

In this article by Marc Prensky, he encourages the increase of technology in the school system as well as the increase of technology amongst teachers. Teachers who are stuck with one foot in the past and one foot in the future need to get with the program because our students are “no longer little versions of us.” Prensky continues to mention that if educators want to have relevance in this century then we must find ways to integrate technology into our classrooms. He also mentions students must be engaged in all aspects of the classroom from discussions about curriculum development, teaching methods, school organization, discipline, and assignments. Prensky believes students are the teacher’s best resource for technology advances and how to incorporate it into the classroom.

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Futuring

A. How would you grade or assess School Train and Fox Becomes a Better Person?

School Train and Fox Becomes a Better Person defintely show how far technology has advanced. I was shocked when I saw what the students created. The old school presentations that included tag board and construction paper are out, digital presentations are in.

As far as grading or assessing School Train, I would have to say that the presentation was definitely attention grabbing. The students appeared to master the material of metaphors by comparing the school with riding on a train. The students also mastered their technology usage. Impressive! It would be interesting to see how the students put the piece together and how they came up with the idea of comparing school to riding a train.

Fox Becomes A Better Person is a great example on how students can take advantage of technology to tell a story or give a presentation. Kids love this stuff! I think Hannah did a great job on telling her story using technology and her own illustrations. It is quite impressive to see such a young girl have the capabilities to make use technology. I would give both of these five stars!

B. What impacts could the developments portrayed in epic2015 have on your classroom, particulary with respect to things like pod casting?

I really enjoyed Epic2015. It is really interesting on how our technology has evolved over the last few decades and what technology will bring to our future. However, I don't think that Epic2015 was really that far off because we live in a technological advanced world presently. Everyday more progress is being made, who knows where we will be in 2015. As far as the classroom goes, more and more technology is being used in the school systems today. Right now in my sixth grade classroom students are able to access their math book online as well as the notes and math games. It's interesting to think that one day all lectures will be done by podcasting.

C. How might you use Sabrina's piece as a model for something you would do with your own students?

Using the idea of Sabrina's Journey, it would be fun for students to make their own story on their goals in life. This would include pictures and stories from their past, present, and future goals. This would include:

1. How are you going to save money in highschool?
2. What they want to do when they graduate highschool?
3. What you want to be when you grow up?
4. Where they want to live?
5. The size of their family

This project would gives students an opportunity to tell their story through technology using their own creativity.